User ratings in Music are temporarily disabled. More info

Binaural
by
  • Record Label:
  • Release Date:
Binaural Image
Metascore
69

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 60 Ratings

Top Track

Nothing As It Seems
Don't feel like home He's a little out And all these words alone Is nothing like your poem Putting in, inputting in Don't feel like methadone A... See the rest of the song lyrics
See Full Track List »
Powered by

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 16
  3. Negative: 2 out of 16
  1. Nude As The News
    95
    The band's most consistent, well-written effort yet.
  2. New Musical Express (NME)
    90
    A seething, furious album; a declamatory statement against cynicism and passivity and the simple injustices of everyday life.
  3. Dot Music
    80
    In the main they have done away with their more stodgy, pretentious material and distilled their sound into a stripped down rawness, and they sound all the better for it.
  4. CDNow
    70
    Oddly, it's the faster songs -- once Pearl Jam's forte -- that detract from Binaural as a whole.
  5. Wall of Sound
    65
    A formless collection that drifts from one tune to the next, weighed down by a general sense of murk that pervades everything from Tchad Blake's production to the song arrangements and the lyrics.
  6. Q Magazine
    60
    At their worst, Pearl Jam witter on pointlessly.... When Pearl Jam gel, though, it's close to special.
  7. Select
    20
    A stinker of an album... a giant leap backwards in combining the overblown punk of 'Vs' with the grunge bluster of 'Ten', minus the tunes. [July 2000, p.107]
    All this publication's reviews

See all 16 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 18
  3. Negative: 2 out of 18
  1. joeh
    May 2, 2006
    10
    for all the low scores on pearl jam. its smart music for smart people who don't just listen to the first 10 secs of a song then hit for all the low scores on pearl jam. its smart music for smart people who don't just listen to the first 10 secs of a song then hit next. you gotta put on the headphones, listen to the lyrics and let them mesh with the music.… Expand
  2. El_Hyena
    Jan 18, 2019
    10
    Possibly their best album. It is the sound of mature musicians not afraid to take a risk. Incredible song writing, brilliant lyrics andPossibly their best album. It is the sound of mature musicians not afraid to take a risk. Incredible song writing, brilliant lyrics and instrumentation.… Expand
  4. gazc
    Aug 23, 2009
    10
    An incredible album, do not get the '0' rating. 'Light years' is their most emotional and tear jerking song and the An incredible album, do not get the '0' rating. 'Light years' is their most emotional and tear jerking song and the atmosphere created in 'nothing as it seems is phenomenal. They even hit the mark with the political songs such as 'Grievance', 'insignificance' and 'evacuation'. Lyrical Vedder is flawless.… Expand
  5. spacecadet
    Jun 6, 2011
    8
    although it's lost its edge over time. still a remarkable album. not their best. definitly not their worst.
    despite its reputation its NOT    although it's lost its edge over time. still a remarkable album. not their best. definitly not their worst.
    despite its reputation its NOT ONLY for the die hard fans. and its definitly no stadium rock as some people claim    … Expand
  6. Filippos1987
    Nov 6, 2022
    7
    An album with well-written songs but muddled production that doesn't have a confident arc. I would give this album a 6.9, but here a moreAn album with well-written songs but muddled production that doesn't have a confident arc. I would give this album a 6.9, but here a more suitable rating is a 7. It remains one of their more frustrating releases, as the material is there but Eddie and the band don't seem to be communicating musically in a way that effectively benefits the material. Far from a bad record - they don't really make those - but it is one of the records they DO occasionally make, a mixed affair that frustrates because the good parts are that good.… Expand
  7. DearLord
    Nov 20, 2005
    7
    Not the best of the band's career, perhaps the worst... but for PJ, "worst" is still congruous with greatness. Thick with atmosphere, Not the best of the band's career, perhaps the worst... but for PJ, "worst" is still congruous with greatness. Thick with atmosphere, every song is listenable, ranging from good to excellent. Key tracks: -Parting Ways -Insignificance -Thin Air -Of the Girl -Grievance… Expand
  8. nayfarid
    Feb 28, 2004
    0
    worst album from worst band in rock history

See all 18 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

97
#97 Best Album of 2000
32
#32 Most Discussed Album of 2000

Current Music Releases

Full List »
99 Band on the Run [50th Anniversary Edition] - Paul McCartney & Wings
95 If I don't make it, I love u - Still House Plants
95 The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow - Charles Lloyd
92 COWBOY CARTER - Beyoncé
91 The Carnegie Hall Concert - Alice Coltrane
90 1989 (Taylor's Version) - Taylor Swift
90 Iechyd Da - Bill Ryder-Jones
90 This Could Be Texas - English Teacher
89 I Got Heaven - Mannequin Pussy
89 Black Bayou - Robert Finley
89 Tigers Blood - Waxahatchee
88 Only God Was Above Us - Vampire Weekend
88 What Now - Brittany Howard
88 Hey Panda - The High Llamas
88 Orquídeas - Kali Uchis
88 The Past Is Still Alive - Hurray for the Riff Raff
87 Filthy Underneath - Nadine Shah
87 i/o - Peter Gabriel
87 Blue Lips - ScHoolboy Q
87 Bright Future - Adrianne Lenker
All Current Music »